Field-ordnance



F. A. DQMEY. Mounting GrdnamceA Patented 16, 1862.

` accurately laying the piece. Ou

lliairnni rares Partnr erica.

FERDINAND A. DE MEY,'0F NEY YGRK, N. Y.

Snecieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,415?, dated September 16, lrl.

The accompanying drawings, forming a part y of this specification, are figures illustrating my invention. y

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my entire construction. It is on. the line S S iuliig. 3. ,i Fig. 2 is a plan view of a por` tion, showing any springs and slides for accommodating the recoil of the 'gun 5' and Fig. 3 is a plan view f my entirel construction.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

lily-invention is intended for general iield' service, but is especially useful for light or iiying artillery, or for service in those situations Where the position requires to be very frequently and rapidly changed,`or where the gun requires to be served during a movement, as on a rapid and continuous advance or retreat, ,A very marked advantage attending its use alsolies in thev protection afforded by its revolving shield or turretagainst rifle-balls and all small projectiles.' Another advantage lies in the commanding position -it affords in the event of receiving a charge, either ot' infantry or cavalry.

The gun I employ is a breech-loader. No particular style of such gun is required, as

` any may be used. The construction of breechloading artillery known as Bishop s patent, patented in the year l856,`vrill answer lWell, and is probably among the best for the purpose. I mount my breech-loading gun on a revolving platform, providing all the Well-known facilitiesl (not represented) for elevating and same'platform, and revolving necessarily u th the gun, isa stout shield ci' iron, oi' the form represented, adapted to@ ot-ect the gun from mis-- siles received in front and on either side. and

to protect the gunners in the mannerv whichr is'obvious. This shield may be ol' any desired form andA construction; but I prefer riveted -plates oi rolled iron united so as to forni a partial dome of the form represented, or of a form a littleivider at the point opposite the breech of the gun. Opposite the muzzle I provide a suitable` port for the discharge of the gun, and protect it by a stout shield of iron hung in the manner represented, so that it may he raised and lowered at pleasure. It

is raisedand held up during the interval of the discharge, and dropped, so as to protect the opening, during the loading of the piece.

I mount my platform, in the manner of a railway turn-table, on another platform, which latter is supported on stout wheels in the man-- ner shown, so that the whole may be readily moved and rested at pleasure without unlimbering. The turning of the gunand shield upon the carriage may be effected by the direct e'orts of the nieu applied to the handles or levers projecting rearward, or by any suitable mechanism therefor; and it will be obvious that the shield will always-be so presented as to defend the gun and the gunners.fromA missiles coming from that point toward which the gun is directed,and inl which the enemyii supposed to lie in greatest force, while the other side of the gun and turret is exposed for light and ventilation. I connect my revolving platform to the carriage-platform through the intervention of stout horizonal springs,soarranged as to allow, in connection with the housings ror slides, a suiiicient horizontal motion ci' the oiie relatively to the other in every possible direction to providefor the recoil. The construction of this latter feature and the several others will y be bet-ter understood froml a careful description, referringto the details of the figures'by letters ofreference; and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention,I willso describe the entire invention. i

A is a stout platiornrof timber, carriedr at the height of about si x feet (more or less) from f the ground by the, means ot' the stout risersA A] and the four Wheels c a a c. The .forward wheels are adapted to turn uponTIiofkihg-bolt iny the ordinary manner to any extent desired, and a suitable tongue of any length or character desired is pro 'ided, as usual, i'or the attachment of the horses. The risers are stoutly braced, as represented, and the whole is provided with all ordinary and approved appliances for durability and easy motion.

r41i n I5 is a-swiveling-pin, .welded or otherwise firmly connected to the turn-table plate above.

K It is supported in a'stou't slide, C, as-shown in framing, .which rforms vSlide D.' l

f Stout springs land 2 `end lto confine the/slide GF near. the center of the carriage by tending .'-toward the 4 'center of the slideD', and corre "spending springs, 3 3 "and 4 4,':eonduce toa like eifect by tending to holdthe entire slide C, with its contents, in the center of the space represented within the platform A. [Each slide is allowed by the springsto move7 and thedirectionv of the motion of eachis indicated by the arrows in red, which 'are pointed at each;

. vend, to indicate that the motion may beineither direction vin the line indicated. The

slide D is prviueewith a broad plate on its upper and lower faces, which overlaps u n the carriage-platform A, 'and also to a certain extent upon thecentral slide, C, so as to' hold the whole in the same horizontal plane. The outline of these plates is indicated` in ldotted lines in Fig. 2. The hole to receive the swivcling-pin B must be oblong, as represented, to allow the pin and its co'nnection to slide within Dr A large washer, E, of such Size as to com'- pletely eove this hole von the under face of i the plates',iis shown in Fig. 1 and outlined; in y Fig'. 2. Below this I secure a nut, or a hut and jam-nut, s0 as to prevent any derangenlent of the parts-by any ordinary-violence. In the upper surface of the carriage-platform VA, I mount small friction-wheels F, as repre.- sented, adapted tocar-ry the revolving platforni or turn-table, as represented.

G is my revolving platform. Itis circular,

vand turns freely aroundv the pintle or swiveling-pin'B, resting its weight-,upon the antivfriction wheels F, 'or friction--wheels/f` as they are generally`v called bjme'chanics.

H Hare two stout supports oftimber rest- -ing firmly upon G, and adapted to carry the trunnions of the cannon. g

I is the cannon, provided with a removable breech,f, and with all the appurtenances of a *serviceable breech-loading cannon. lThis style of cannon, although not much used, Ais so well known as .to require lnospecial description. The same is the case with the elevating screwsight, lock, vent, and other details which pertain to all ordinary cannon. All the ordinary. meansof insuring the efficiency and correctness of aim of any gun may lbeused with mine, including the use of rifle-grooves, polygonal bore, and all the known styles of rie'project iles, ritieni-plain canister, &c.

. J is a stout dome or partial dome', made of iron or steel, or partly of wood and partly of the stronger material. The material may be holt ed or otherwise applied together` in any known manner; vbutl I prefer to bolt or rivet the parte inthe form of rolled iron of moderate shickness, the upper edges only being pre- Sentedto the eye, the lower edges being abuttion upon which these surface-plates are laid. Thefmanner of applying these platesand the cated-Lin Figs. I and 3, as also the extent to which yI deem it most expedient pto carry the domeupcver the gun and men. I prefer, however,=to make the backedg'esof the shield.'

.space each side of the gun within the dome.

fprefcrto make the dome or partial shield AJ aboutnth'e same breadthas th'eturn-table G.

non through the same, and also to provide for hands of themen, or by othersuitable means, so as to lelevate'the cover L at the moment'of liring. ,On releasing M the parts again resume.

they having been, during the act of iirin'g. in

action of releasing may be made automatic, if desired, by providing a simple catch tohold tached thereto, which shall be released bythe charge of the piece,

G and its load is revolved.

.. 1 l, motion of the cannonIupon the platform order to provide more .completely forthe recoil of the gun; but it is .obvious that Suchmetion must be limited by strongv springs or 'great friction, so as to prevent an excess of motion. Mywheels a and 'risers -Almay be made larger or smaller than represented, so as to give agreater or less elevation to the gun abov`e theground. Iprefer'tomaketheheight of the platformG about sinv feet above the earth. This enables me to fire my gun .over the heads of thehorses, .if well trained, and to operate over the infantry, Ywho may, if necessary, be completely in front'of the gun, for its .protection or for any other purpose.

The advantages due to some of the features of my invention may be recapitulated briefly as follows: The mounting of my gun 'atrsueh an elevation as to `command in all directions over the horses and menin 'its-vicinity, taken in connection ,Withtherotation on the swivel-5 pinand the ability to fire in all'directions with=l out changing the position' of the carriage, jor whileit is moving,allows the gun to 'be better protected by infantry to aid the operations of infantry, and to be served during a rapid march better than ordinarily, and -allo'ws a ted against the wood-work or other foundabolts or rivets for securing the sameis indi- Iwould, as a matter of convenience, :generally v K isa port or aperture in the shield J," of l such size as to allow the safe .ringof the can- :elevating and depressing the pieceto all the .toslidethrough an' eye or bearingas repre' sented'at N, and to be pulled downward bythe the position shown bythe black lines in Fig;;1, I

'the position shown bythe red lines.` rThe'r the. @ne of M, or 'to hold a cord or the like at motion or concussion of the pants pnthe dis- O 0 are the handles by which theturn-tabley or turn-table G may be allowed by any known l means, if it be fou-nd necessary or desirable,in f

or partialfdoinewider apart, so asto give more g nection `with my invention,

v ishes the shock of the concussion upon the running parts, and avoids or diminishes the mo- Y j tion of "the gun to be moved from a dangerous position more rapidly and with less loss of time yin the firing thanordinarily, While it also makes a gun less easily captured by cavalry, even if the infantry defenses are overcome. 'The coinbination therewith of the front shield, in connection with the breech-loading principle, alto be better pro lows the men and the material tected from rifle-shot and shells than ordinarily,

even though their elevated position makes them `conspicuous objects for an enemys aim. The employment of the slides and springs in conas above, dimingnn relatively to the platform G and shield, so that the gun need not recoil out of the Wings of the shield, even if the shield is made of moderate size.

Having now fully described my invention,

`what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l l. f,

gun, front shield, and supporting-carriage, with Vl. The combination of a revolving table,

`a provision for the recoil of the gunwhen fired inany direction thereon, the Whole being arranged to operate as artillery, either in a state of rest or of motion, Without necessary alter- `ation, substantially as described. 'p

2. The employment, 4in a carriage for ordnance substantially of the character herein described, ofthe slides C D, and of springs controlling 'the motion thereof, arranged to operate as herein set forth7 and this I claim irrespective of the precise construction of the springs.-

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. 4.

r". A. DE'MEY.

TWtnesses: v

THoMAs D. SrETsoN, l JAMns LYMAN.' g 

